Category Archives: Parents

The first step to increase parent engagement is create a program to get parents into the school. Part two of this series will focus on ways to get parents to come to your parenting program by creating a common theme/motto, reaching out to companies for donations that will be used as giveaways, and picking a curriculum to guide your program.

To create an actual program that carries a common theme or name is important since this will be the guiding force throughout the year. The name for the program I will be implementing is Parent University. This signifies a program that is ongoing and professional in nature. The motto for the program is Learn, Grow, and Support.

After the name and motto were determined reaching out to businesses for donations is necessary (especially when you do not have much money). These donations are used for giveaways throughout each session. I was overwhelmed with the support received. I asked for products that fit in for each of the session topics. In addition to receiving items for giveaways, advertising is an important first step. We began advertising the program early and then sent home registration flyers to every student. Reminder phone calls and letters were also sent home to make sure parents would attend.

Prizes, giveaways, and food are the motivators that were used to begin this program and get parents in the door. After the parents signed up for the program and attended the first session, engagement became my focus. I did not want to stand in front of parents and lecture…..no one would learn from this and a network of support would not be developed. Instead I wanted parents to talk and share, so they could see that other parents have the same struggles that they do at home. In order to achieve this goal, I used a couple decks of playing cards. Every time a parent spoke and participated, they would receive a playing card. At the end of the session, I drew from a fresh deck of cards and if someone had the cards that I drew they would win one of the giveaways. This was the ticket to having some lively and proactive discussions. Parents felt at ease and comfortable to share their experiences.

Finally, having a base curriculum to use helps guide the discussions and learning topics. I used Parents on Board Series by by Michael H. Popkin, Ph.D.; Bettie B. Youngs, Ph.D.; and Jane M. Healy, Ph.D. Classes are divided into three topics: Preparing your Child to Succeed, Encouraging Positive Behavior, and Reinforcing Your Child’s Academic Skills. This curriculum hits on the major topics that I wanted to focus on, and at times, I will add in more information based on parent interest. For example, parents may be more interested in homework policies and the importance of homework, so this could be discussed more by adding up to date research. Additionally parents were given all materials needed to learn. Thanks to Bloom Planners, each parent was given a daily planner. Notebooks, pens, highlighters, and sticky notes were also provided. As well, as the parent book that goes along with the Parents on Board curriculum. For an extra added touch, each parent was also given an apple to remind them they are also teachers.

So in review, the first steps to creating a successful parenting program are:

Get parents in the door by offering food, prizes, and giveaways

Create a supportive and engaging atmosphere

Keep things professional with a curriculum

In our first session, we had some wonderful donations from Blue Sky Planners, Blooms Planners, and Chart and Soul. Since the topics revolved around organization and routine, all these products are perfect to help parents stay organized and create a routine that works for their family. A big thank you goes out to these companies!

As part of planning and preparing for a parent program, I reached out to different companies for donations that I could giveaway to parents. The intent of these giveaways is to increase participation and give parents something useful to use at home with their children. I was excited to receive a donation of a NEATLINGS chore chart system. I LOVE their motto of “cultivate contributing, confident, can-do kid”. I started using it with my own children this past week.

From a psychologist perspective, it has all the components of a great token economy and from a parent perspective it is easy to set up and includes lots of options to fit our home and daily schedule. The system comes with a nice one page overview of different ways to set up the chore chart at home and different chart configurations. It also has EVERYTHING you need to implement the chart immediately. This was such an added bonus because I did not even have to get scissors to cut anything apart. It even included a pen and blank chore cards to customize for your own child.

I put it together a couple different ways before settling on a daily chart divided into different times of the days (morning, afternoon, and evening). However, the chart could be created for an entire week or divided by chore priority. I was able to set up the chart for both my girls, but it can also be set up for three children.

The chore cards come in a nice variety of colors, so each child can have their own color cards and it is easy to distinguish between them which eliminates potential fighting over cards!!

Once the girls completed a chore card, they received one ticket to start keeping in their ticket pouch, but parents can adapt the number of tickets for their own schedule. I also really liked that BONUS chores were included which also come in different colors. These are extra chores that the child can complete and earn even more tickets. There are also blank cards that can be used to write in your own chores that are not included in the set.

The “reward” part of the system can be used by having children redeem tickets for either an item in the “family store” or number of screen minutes. Children can choose which reward they would like to work towards. The family store can be set up between child and parent and include very simple items and more “expensive” items. NEATLINGS includes a sample of items you could use in your family store. We will be using a rotating reward chart so it always keeps the girls engaged!

So far this has been a great addition to our family routine and I was impressed with every possible component that NEATLINGS thought of to make this a comprehensive system. NEATLINGS can even customize their charts for you to make something slightly different to fit your family needs such as different color combinations or additional pocket chart panels if you have more than 3 children.

One lucky parent will get a NEATLINGS chore chart system at the upcoming parent program thanks to a generous donation by the company! If you are interested in any of NEATLINGS products check them out at www.neatlings.com and get 10% of your purchase with the coupon code of DEAL4YOU. This code is valid from now until November 30th.

I’m excited to be starting a new series of blog posts that will be detailing the planning and implementation phases of a parenting program that I will be starting in two school districts. I have always had a passion for teaching and increasing parent engagement in schools. You can check out these articles that I have written in the past to give you some different ideas to start gaining participation in your school district and the importance of creating this home/school partnership. Many studies have found that this partnership is the one of the most important predictors of positive student achievement.

There can be many reasons that a school may have low parent involvement or participation. One reason that I have found in my last 10 years of working in schools is that the parent had a poor school experience when they attended school, so they are not eager to create a positive relationship with their own child’s school. Think about it…..if you had a bad experience at a restaurant you most likely won’t want to go back to that restaurant and try it again. So, the first step in creating a successful program is getting parents into the school and what better way to start on the right foot then offer giveaways and food! This adds excitement and yes….a little bribery!! We will be advertising through multiple outlets with flyers posted throughout the schools, community buildings, and the district website, as well as radio advertising.

After getting parents into the school, the true learning and support begins. What I hope makes this parent program different from other parent nights/programs that are used in schools is the bonding and support network that can be created from having multiple sessions over time and follow up throughout the year. So, instead of “presenting” to parents, the program would be “facilitating” a group discussion and following up with many creative and engaging ideas for parents. I’m really excited to get this program started and sharing the details through this series of posts!

Often times, the missing link in changing a child’s negative behavior is the home school connection. When children exhibit challenging behaviors, the consistency between home and school are vital in making any long term changes. This connection can be reached through constant communication and unique systems that make both the teacher and parents life easier.

Recently we have begun a “Hole Punch” behavior modification technique with a student in order to reinforce positive behaviors. The child has two behaviors that he must exhibit in order to get a hole punch on a card: Follow teacher request the first time the request is made and Keep hands and feet in assigned area. When the child completes either task, he receives a hole punch.

Once the child receives 10 hole punches, he receives 2 minutes of time in his “super hero” basket. This basket contains all different kinds of superhero stamps, stickers, color books, and toys. This system is used in the school setting and the child has successfully responded and the number of behavioral incidents has decreased.

However, I believe the true success of this system is the follow through that happens at home. The parent uses an app called IRewards Chart. The parent types the same behaviors in their IRewards Chart. Depending on how many hole punches the student receives at school, the student can press the button on the phone to enter that many stars on the app. The parent also has added some additional chores and behaviors that are expected at home.

The app allows the parents to set up a reward chart, so the child can save their stars for certain items/rewards and then cash them in when they have enough stars. So, basically it is a token economy on a mobile device which is such an awesome idea!

Using this app is a perfect carry over from school and the connection is very clear to the student. It is also an easy implementation for parents since the app has created the system for you already and it is FREE!

This is just one example of the two “worlds” of home and school coming together to improve student behavior. This can also be accomplished by using Individual Behavior Charts for older students. Students receive points throughout the day on a behavior chart and then are rewarded for meeting their goal. The parent signs the chart and reinforces the positive behaviors at home.

Whatever the system that is chosen, the key is consistency and communication between the home and school. When the child knows that both the parent and the teacher are working together, this creates a more likely chance of lasting and permanent changes in behaviors.

I’m excited to have an article on the Teach for America Blog, Teacher Pop. Here is a sneak peek at the article.

Depending on where you teach, parent involvement can be a tricky issue to tackle. I’ve worked at schools with tremendous parent involvement—even to the point of over-involvement—and others where parents rarely stepped in the building. In order to create a continuous environment of learning and success for children, it’s important for parents and teachers to partner and collaborate. So, how can you build parent involvement in your school?